Sunday, February 23, 2014

New York Mets ace Matt Harvey had Tommy John surgery early in the offseason. Now, exactly four months later, he has started throwing again. The New York Times' Tim Rohan reportedSaturday that Harvey threw approximately 20 tosses in the outfield of the Mets' Spring Training complex in Port St. Lucie, Florida.

Matt Harvey just threw for the first time since Tommy John surgery, threw about 20 times at 60 feet
— Tim Rohan (@TimRohan) February 22, 2014

By sigckcg, via Wikimedia Commons

Harvey was not sure how he would feel after throwing, but it turned out just fine. After some tosses, he started placing more accurate throws to catcher Dave Racaniello. He spoke about his first throwing session soon after. Said Harvey,

“I felt very good. Kind of surprised, actually. Going into it, I didn’t really know what to expect.... I feel brand-new. I technically have four ligaments in there, I guess.”

Sixty feet, of course, is the approximate distance from the pitcher's mound to home plate -- sixty feet, six inches to be exact.

The Mets do not expect Harvey to pitch in 2014, but Harvey has not ruled out the possibility of returning late in the season. We reported earlier in February that Harvey felt optimistic about making a few starts at the end of the season. Considering, though, the long career still ahead of the 25-year-old (before Opening Day), both he and the Mets understand the need not to rush him back just to give him some action this year. The long term matters the most.

Harvey was 9-5 with a 2.27 ERA, 0.931 WHIP, AND 5.2 WAR for the third-place Mets in 2013.